B.A. in art education

DESCRIPTION:

The Bachelor of Arts in Art Education prepares students for preK-12 Visual Art Licensure. Graduates effectively teach visual art by applying a learner-centered pedagogy to embrace the many dimensions of human intelligence and aesthetic education. Graduates understand child development to successfully engage learners in the complete artistic process of thinking—perceptual, imaginative, formative, expressive, and communicative--by combining a range of subject matter, symbols and ideas. They organize and evaluate teaching activities for creating and analyzing works of art and design from contemporary and past cultures. This involves using a variety of media, technology, and community resources, making connections between visual art and other disciplines, as well as assessing the learning outcomes of their students. Graduates are prepared to meet the needs of all students with an understanding of the value of diversity. They create safe and equitable learning environments in which to nurture life-long skills in problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and constructing meaning.

Professional Licensure Disclosure
This program is designed to prepare students to sit for applicable licensure or certification in Ohio. If you plan to pursue licensure or certification in a state other than Ohio, please review state educational requirements for licensure or certification and contact information for state licensing boards at Kent State's website for professional licensure disclosure.

GOALS

Learner-Centered Pedagogy

Graduates effectively teach visual art by applying a learner-centered pedagogy to embrace the many dimensions of human intelligence and aesthetic education. Graduates are prepared to meet the needs of all students with an understanding of the value of diversity.

Creating and Analyzing

Graduates understand child development to successfully engage learners in the complete artistic process of thinking—perceptual, imaginative, formative, expressive, and communicative--by combining a range of subject matter, symbols and ideas. They organize and evaluate teaching activities for creating and analyzing works of art and design from contemporary and past cultures. This involves using a variety of media, technology, and community resources, making connections between visual art and other disciplines, as well as assessing the learning outcomes of their students.

Skills for Life-Long Learning

Graduates create safe and equitable learning environments in which to nurture life-long skills in problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and constructing meaning.

PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES

Reflection

Graduates will reflect on their personal and conceptual growth, teaching performance and professional development as well as on their students’ learning through guided writing, journaling, and artmaking. Graduates will articulate their beliefs about art education and defend their position as well as demonstrate in-depth engagement in issues of the field.

Active and Collaborative Learning and Teaching

Graduates will research, plan, conduct, and assess art experiences for preK-12 grade students, grounded in the National and Ohio Visual Art standards. Graduates will examine and learn from observed student and teacher behaviors to understand effective teaching practices. Graduates will comprehend the visual stages of development as they relate to mental, social, emotional, and physical development of children in order to plan appropriate lesson instruction. Graduates will develop and articulate knowledge of various theories related to teaching artmaking, art criticism, art history and aesthetics as well as theories related to instructional and interdisciplinary practices. Graduates will apply principles of classroom management, safety practices, and motivational techniques in teaching. Graduates will organize and manage the time, space, and resources of an instructional setting for teaching art. Graduates will learn to use community resources, such as museums and community artists, and make connections between communal needs, the learner, and the art education curriculum. Graduates will effectively plan and install art exhibits.

Communication Skills

Graduates will competently use materials and media to visually communicate . Graduates will effectively communicate verbally and through writing their ideas of art education in relation to contemporary art education theory and the application of those ideas in art classrooms. Graduates will become advocates for the field of art education.

Diversity

Graduates will develop an understanding of their communal, national, and global identities, in the context of the personal as well as professional as educators. Graduates will create and teach appropriate art curriculum that meets the cultural, emotional, academic, physical, sensory, and behavioral needs of students. Graduates will understand the significance of and apply curriculum that promotes appreciation and critical understanding of diversity, inclusivity, and interdisciplinarity.

Professional Development

Graduates will learn about career planning and related professional issues such as national assessments, unions, professional development possibilities, graduate studies, and life-long learning. Graduates will be encouraged to become life-long learners as they continue to critically reflect on their teaching practices. Graduates are prepared in professional responsibilities of becoming a member of the art education community, and they will adapt their curriculum accordingly.

Technology Competence

Graduates will use technology in an ethical, critical, and creative manner as a means to acquire, provide, organize, and communicate knowledge.

GENERAL INFORMATION

The art teacher education program is designed to be a sequential and progressive curriculum that begins with an introduction to the field and builds toward the culminating experience, student teaching. Among the features of the program:

• Field and clinical experiences are part of every art education course. Students are placed in a variety of classroom contexts and work with art teachers and students under the supervision of Kent State faculty.
• As part of their field experiences, our students gain experience in urban, suburban and rural schools and with young students of ages 4-18.
• Teacher education concepts and theory are drawn from the current research and professional literature in art, education and art education as well as related literature in other disciplines.
• The Art Education Major Review provides a comprehensive assessment of each student and gauges his or her readiness for advancement to student teaching.
•  Program standards are designed to exceed the state minimums for initial licensure.
• As one of the largest and most comprehensive art education programs in this region, the network of Kent State graduates serves as a resource for ongoing program development.

Required course work in studio and crafts offers art education students a breadth of exposure to art content. In the advanced stages of their programs, students are encouraged to use elective hours to develop depth in an area of interest, including travel study.

About Field and Clinical Experiences

Field and clinical experiences are an integral part of our teacher education program. Field-based activities progress from an introduction to life in schools and classrooms and culminate in total involvement. Field experiences for art education students are carefully planned and coordinated through course instructors and involve specific learning objectives that have been set to assure increasing proficiency in performing various teaching responsibilities under actual school conditions.